"After one of the driest Februarys on record, accumulations of mountain snow have dropped even further below normal across much of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. That snow is a vital natural reservoir for the streams and rivers that supply irrigation and drinking water, produce electricity at hydropower dams -- and sustain wild salmon journeying to sea.
Last month brought one-fifth to one-third the average rain and snowfall to most river basins in Oregon. For Portland, it was the fourth-driest February on record. The lack of moisture, combined with warmer-than-normal temperatures, left snowpacks worse off than they were a month ago in most of the region. Washington is down the furthest, with a statewide snowpack at 27 percent of normal, compared with Oregon at 35 percent of normal.
The next month will be crucial. The winter's accumulation of rain and snow typically peaks in April, effectively setting the amount of water available as river runoff until autumn rains restart the cycle. Without a significant increase in precipitation, the region probably will face widespread summer water shortages and conflicts over the needs of people and wildlife.
"What we need to hope for is some wet weather this spring," said Andy Bryant, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Portland. "A month or two can still make a huge difference." Unfortunately for the water-supply outlook, forecasts by the weather service's national climate prediction center call for warmer and drier-than-average weather to persist through March."
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